Is it just my observations, or are we being inundated by every company, including our financial institutions, using call centers located outside the United States to handle our calls?
I know computer companies are famous for sending our problems to such far off places as India, where we patiently attempt to converse with a person on the line who is reading from a script, and otherwise cannot comprehend what the real problem is at all. It's not their fault, but the fault of the company that hires them to do business in a language they cannot comprehend the nuances of.
But wait, now it's our banks as well! Washington Mutual is using call centers in the Phillipines as well as perhaps India, to handle calls concerning savings, checking and credit cards. I know this from personal experience and have yet to resolve problems, since none of the people I spoke with could comprehend the problem, much less make a decision on how to effectively put forth an answer. In fact, one person sent me an e-mail explaining how to use the telephone system to access the menu functions, which is absolutely not what I asked for.
In addition to the service being virtually worthless, think about the fact that your personal information is being sent overseas, including your Social security nubers, and all that is needed for identity theft. Bad enough it could happen right here in the US, but to sent it all over the world?
So, when you think you're dealing with a good old American company, remember that when a problem arises and you require customer service and press that "Contact Us" button for phone or e-mail help, you might be dealing with people that don't have a clue what you're saying or trying to convey to them, regardless of where the home office is located.
